Historic-House Road Trip: Mountains, Plains and Midwest
These 8 historic residences in the middle of the country are brimming with architectural details and inspiring stories
Gwendolyn Purdom
August 16, 2018
Lover of architecture, history, dogs, the Chicago Cubs, crowded bookshelves, and homes with a story. Former editor at Preservation mag and Culturess.com.
Lover of architecture, history, dogs, the Chicago Cubs, crowded bookshelves, and... More
We’ve steered you from an adobe ranch outside Los Angeles to a sprawling country estate in New Orleans to a circus magnate’s ornate family mansion in Florida and more than a dozen other notable historic homes in between. Now, it’s time to hop back into the car and explore the Native American cliff dwellings and Underground Railroad stations and beer barons’ elaborate manors of the Plains and Midwestern heartland.
These eight properties make up only a small fraction of the historic-home stock that dots these regions, and your dream itinerary might include a lot more (or a couple fewer) stops. Wherever you navigate though, there’s history, architecture and inspiration to spare. Buckle up.
Stop No. 1: Mesa Verde
Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
There are more than 5,000 archaeological sites in Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park, and 600 of those are remarkably preserved cliff dwellings the Ancestral Pueblo people called home from 600 to 1300 AD. Visiting the park, Mesa Verde management support specialist Cristy Brown says, is an “opportunity to see something in the United States that was built almost 1,000 years ago – centuries before the pilgrims stepped onto the East Coast.”
Stop No. 1: Mesa Verde
Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
There are more than 5,000 archaeological sites in Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park, and 600 of those are remarkably preserved cliff dwellings the Ancestral Pueblo people called home from 600 to 1300 AD. Visiting the park, Mesa Verde management support specialist Cristy Brown says, is an “opportunity to see something in the United States that was built almost 1,000 years ago – centuries before the pilgrims stepped onto the East Coast.”
Mesa Verde was the first national park to preserve the works of humans — and it did it in 1906, 10 years before the National Park Service was officially established.
Visitors can admire the ancient sandstone blocks and petroglyphs the builders left behind up close on ranger-led tours of select dwellings and self-guided tours of others. Going inside the dwellings isn’t permitted, but collapsed walls make it easy to peek into the interiors of buildings that have been standing for centuries. In other parts of the park, scenic overlooks and driving loops give history buffs a different perspective on the unique buildings and their surrounding natural landscape.
The park is open year-round, except on select holidays.
No. 1 Navajo Hill, Mesa Verde National Park, CO 81330
Visitors can admire the ancient sandstone blocks and petroglyphs the builders left behind up close on ranger-led tours of select dwellings and self-guided tours of others. Going inside the dwellings isn’t permitted, but collapsed walls make it easy to peek into the interiors of buildings that have been standing for centuries. In other parts of the park, scenic overlooks and driving loops give history buffs a different perspective on the unique buildings and their surrounding natural landscape.
The park is open year-round, except on select holidays.
No. 1 Navajo Hill, Mesa Verde National Park, CO 81330
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Mesa Verde National Park >> Denver: About a 7½- to eight-hour drive
Mesa Verde National Park >> Denver: About a 7½- to eight-hour drive
Stop No. 2: Molly Brown House Museum
Denver
There’s a lot more to Molly Brown’s story than her legendary Titanic heroics. The so-called “unsinkable” social activist’s story is on display at her former home in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Brown and her husband, self-taught mining engineer J.J., moved into the 1889 Richardsonian Romanesque Queen Anne Revival-style Victorian home in 1894, soon after J.J. struck it rich with gold, and nearly 20 years before Molly would become one of the Titanic’s most memorable survivors.
Nicknamed Molly by history, Margaret Brown was passionate about social issues and worked to create Colorado’s first juvenile court system. She reported back to Denver society about injustices she saw on her world travels, helped found an animal humane society, promoted cultural diversity and advocated for improved working conditions for laborers and women’s suffrage. She even helped launched the Denver historic-preservation movement. Her determination to help others, particularly those less-fortunate than her, aboard the Titanic in 1912 and in the years that followed made her a folk hero.
Denver
There’s a lot more to Molly Brown’s story than her legendary Titanic heroics. The so-called “unsinkable” social activist’s story is on display at her former home in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Brown and her husband, self-taught mining engineer J.J., moved into the 1889 Richardsonian Romanesque Queen Anne Revival-style Victorian home in 1894, soon after J.J. struck it rich with gold, and nearly 20 years before Molly would become one of the Titanic’s most memorable survivors.
Nicknamed Molly by history, Margaret Brown was passionate about social issues and worked to create Colorado’s first juvenile court system. She reported back to Denver society about injustices she saw on her world travels, helped found an animal humane society, promoted cultural diversity and advocated for improved working conditions for laborers and women’s suffrage. She even helped launched the Denver historic-preservation movement. Her determination to help others, particularly those less-fortunate than her, aboard the Titanic in 1912 and in the years that followed made her a folk hero.
The Browns’ Denver home, which is currently in the final stages of a three-year restoration, reflects Molly’s larger-than-life persona as well as some of the most technologically advanced features of the time, including electricity, indoor plumbing, telephone lines and steam heat. Inside, visitors will find the Browns’ possessions, such as Molly’s opera coat and black beaded dress, shown here in her bedroom, as well as unexpected details like walls covered in textured Anaglypta paper painted gold — a subtle nod to the source of J.J. Brown’s fortune.
Docent-led tours are available at the house year-round.
1340 Pennsylvania St., Denver, CO 80203
Docent-led tours are available at the house year-round.
1340 Pennsylvania St., Denver, CO 80203
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Denver >> North Platte: About a 3¾- to 4¾-hour drive
Denver >> North Platte: About a 3¾- to 4¾-hour drive
Stop No. 3: Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park
North Platte, Nebraska
The Second Empire-style frame house that famous hunter and Wild West showman “Buffalo” Bill Cody built on his 4,000-acre ranch was the largest home in North Platte, Nebraska, when it went up in 1886. People called it “The Mansion on the Prairie.” Today, visitors who tour the house, barn and other outbuildings on the property see it as it might have looked in 1909.
North Platte, Nebraska
The Second Empire-style frame house that famous hunter and Wild West showman “Buffalo” Bill Cody built on his 4,000-acre ranch was the largest home in North Platte, Nebraska, when it went up in 1886. People called it “The Mansion on the Prairie.” Today, visitors who tour the house, barn and other outbuildings on the property see it as it might have looked in 1909.
In addition to period-appropriate furnishings, the grounds feature a collection of Cody’s antique carriages and artifacts from his theatrical days dramatizing the Wild West. Staffers say it’s the ranch’s lived-in details, though — like the fact that Cody’s wife, Louisa, kept her treasured cake and jam under lock and key to make sure no one got into her personal stash — that resonate most with tourists.
Self-guided tours are available from mid-April through October, with special candlelight tours with re-enactors in period dress in October and Christmas-themed historical events in December.
2921 Scouts Rest Ranch Road, North Platte, NE 69147
Self-guided tours are available from mid-April through October, with special candlelight tours with re-enactors in period dress in October and Christmas-themed historical events in December.
2921 Scouts Rest Ranch Road, North Platte, NE 69147
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North Platte >> Hannibal: About an 8½- to 9¾-hour drive
Suggested detour: Kansas City is home to historic highlights including the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and notable homes like the dramatic three-story gothic Vaile Victorian Mansion, built in 1881.
North Platte >> Hannibal: About an 8½- to 9¾-hour drive
Suggested detour: Kansas City is home to historic highlights including the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and notable homes like the dramatic three-story gothic Vaile Victorian Mansion, built in 1881.
Stop No. 4: The Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum
Hannibal, Missouri
When Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1876, he modeled Aunt Polly’s house and a number of other details on the modest white house he’d grown up in along the banks of the Mississippi River. The Clemens family (Twain was born Samuel Clemens) moved into the home in 1844 and lived there until 1853. A local attorney bought and gifted the house to the city of Hannibal in 1910, which opened it for visitors the same year, making it one of the earliest historic homes opened for public viewing.
Hannibal, Missouri
When Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1876, he modeled Aunt Polly’s house and a number of other details on the modest white house he’d grown up in along the banks of the Mississippi River. The Clemens family (Twain was born Samuel Clemens) moved into the home in 1844 and lived there until 1853. A local attorney bought and gifted the house to the city of Hannibal in 1910, which opened it for visitors the same year, making it one of the earliest historic homes opened for public viewing.
Visitors can see period furnishings inside as well as Twain’s writings about Hannibal and his childhood. Full museum tours include a stop at the nearby former home of Laura Hawkins — Twain’s model for the character of Becky Thatcher — the Justice of the Peace office of Twain’s father, John M. Clemens, and the reconstructed home of Tom Blankenship, the boy who inspired Huckleberry Finn.
Tours are self-guided and available year-round except on holidays.
120 N. Main St., Hannibal, MO 63401
Tours are self-guided and available year-round except on holidays.
120 N. Main St., Hannibal, MO 63401
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Hannibal >> Plano: About a four- to 4½-hour drive
Hannibal >> Plano: About a four- to 4½-hour drive
Stop No. 5: Farnsworth House
Plano, Illinois
Even before it was built in 1951, architect Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House was getting buzz. A model of the striking International Style home was exhibited at New York’s Museum of Modern Art in 1947. The real building, situated in Plano on Illinois’ Fox River, was built as a country retreat for Dr. Edith Farnsworth and remained a private residence for more than 50 years before Landmarks Illinois and the National Trust for Historic Preservation purchased it in 2003.
Plano, Illinois
Even before it was built in 1951, architect Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House was getting buzz. A model of the striking International Style home was exhibited at New York’s Museum of Modern Art in 1947. The real building, situated in Plano on Illinois’ Fox River, was built as a country retreat for Dr. Edith Farnsworth and remained a private residence for more than 50 years before Landmarks Illinois and the National Trust for Historic Preservation purchased it in 2003.
With its glass walls and steel columns, the house appears to be floating more than 5 feet above the ground. Neutral interior colors and minimal furniture are by design. “Farnsworth House has always been, in essence, ‘underfurnished’ because the plate glass walls allow nature to take center stage,” says Farnsworth House Executive Director Scott Mehaffey. A flood ravaged the house’s interiors in the mid-’90s, prompting a major restoration. Today, the house is still regarded as one of the purest examples of modernist ideals.
Guided tours are available from April through November.
14520 River Road, Plano, IL 60545
Guided tours are available from April through November.
14520 River Road, Plano, IL 60545
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Plano >> Milwaukee: About a 2¼-hour drive
Suggested detour: Chicago is a city known for its historic architecture. The Chicago Architecture Foundation’s boat tours are consistently ranked as a top tourist attraction, while other built highlights, like civil rights advocate Ida B. Wells-Barnett’s South Side home (a National Historic Landmark, though the residence itself isn’t open to the public) and architect Bertrand Goldberg’s corn cob-like Marina City shouldn’t be missed. Ten miles west of the city, building buffs can get lost in the storied Prairie-style homes of suburban Oak Park, Ernest Hemingway’s birthplace and the site of Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio.
Plano >> Milwaukee: About a 2¼-hour drive
Suggested detour: Chicago is a city known for its historic architecture. The Chicago Architecture Foundation’s boat tours are consistently ranked as a top tourist attraction, while other built highlights, like civil rights advocate Ida B. Wells-Barnett’s South Side home (a National Historic Landmark, though the residence itself isn’t open to the public) and architect Bertrand Goldberg’s corn cob-like Marina City shouldn’t be missed. Ten miles west of the city, building buffs can get lost in the storied Prairie-style homes of suburban Oak Park, Ernest Hemingway’s birthplace and the site of Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio.
Stop No. 6: The Pabst Mansion
Milwaukee
Milwaukee has long been known as a beer town — it even earned the nickname Beer Capital of the World. And the Pabst family behind the storied Pabst Brewing made up an important pillar of that local legacy. The 1895 Flemish Renaissance Revival-style Pabst Mansion, home to Capt. Frederick Pabst, his wife Maria and their 10 children, still stands as one of the last intact mansions from the city’s Gilded Age.
Milwaukee
Milwaukee has long been known as a beer town — it even earned the nickname Beer Capital of the World. And the Pabst family behind the storied Pabst Brewing made up an important pillar of that local legacy. The 1895 Flemish Renaissance Revival-style Pabst Mansion, home to Capt. Frederick Pabst, his wife Maria and their 10 children, still stands as one of the last intact mansions from the city’s Gilded Age.
The Pabst Mansion Dining Room. Photo from Pabst Mansion
Because the family had the mansion photographed in 1897, modern stewards have been able to restore not only the home’s interiors to their original state (each room was assigned a different European architectural theme) but also identify and return hundreds of original pieces and paintings.
Guided tours of the mansion are available throughout the year with Christmas-centric self-guided tours available from mid-November to early January.
2000 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53233
Because the family had the mansion photographed in 1897, modern stewards have been able to restore not only the home’s interiors to their original state (each room was assigned a different European architectural theme) but also identify and return hundreds of original pieces and paintings.
Guided tours of the mansion are available throughout the year with Christmas-centric self-guided tours available from mid-November to early January.
2000 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53233
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Milwaukee >> Fountain City: About a 5¾- to 6½-hour drive
Milwaukee >> Fountain City: About a 5¾- to 6½-hour drive
Stop No. 7: Levi and Catharine Coffin State Historic Site
Fountain City, Indiana
From the outside, Levi and Catharine Coffin’s simple Federal-style brick home didn’t look much different than the homes around it in the 1830s. Within its walls, however, the house is thought to have sheltered as many as 1,000 escaped slaves as they made their way north toward freedom. The Coffin House was known at The Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad in the region during the years the Coffins lived there.
Historians believe unusual features in the house such as rooms with multiple exits, an attic packed with storage garrets, a basement kitchen and a spring-fed well in the root cellar suggest the Coffins — Quakers, abolitionists and community leaders — intentionally built the house to mask the daring hiding and escapes that would be orchestrated inside.
Fountain City, Indiana
From the outside, Levi and Catharine Coffin’s simple Federal-style brick home didn’t look much different than the homes around it in the 1830s. Within its walls, however, the house is thought to have sheltered as many as 1,000 escaped slaves as they made their way north toward freedom. The Coffin House was known at The Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad in the region during the years the Coffins lived there.
Historians believe unusual features in the house such as rooms with multiple exits, an attic packed with storage garrets, a basement kitchen and a spring-fed well in the root cellar suggest the Coffins — Quakers, abolitionists and community leaders — intentionally built the house to mask the daring hiding and escapes that would be orchestrated inside.
The house’s interiors, restored to their 1839 state, are about 90 percent original. In addition to objects from other Quaker families who settled in the area around the same time as the Coffins, visitors can see notable interior woodwork, a space where it is believed 14 freedom seekers hid for fear of the house being searched and the still-working spring-fed well.
Guided tours are available Tuesdays through Sundays year-round, except on holidays.
201 U.S. 27 North, Fountain City, IN 47341
Guided tours are available Tuesdays through Sundays year-round, except on holidays.
201 U.S. 27 North, Fountain City, IN 47341
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Fountain City >> Akron: About a 3¾-hour drive
Fountain City >> Akron: About a 3¾-hour drive
Stop No. 8: Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens
Akron, Ohio
Goodyear Tire & Rubber co-founder F.A. Seiberling traveled with architect Charles S. Schneider to a number of well-known homes throughout England to get inspiration for the grand Tudor Revival manor house they would eventually build in Akron. The Seiberling family moved into the 64,500-square-foot main house in 1915 and stayed for 40 years. So many materials were needed for construction, a railroad spur was created just for transport onto the property.
Akron, Ohio
Goodyear Tire & Rubber co-founder F.A. Seiberling traveled with architect Charles S. Schneider to a number of well-known homes throughout England to get inspiration for the grand Tudor Revival manor house they would eventually build in Akron. The Seiberling family moved into the 64,500-square-foot main house in 1915 and stayed for 40 years. So many materials were needed for construction, a railroad spur was created just for transport onto the property.
New York interior designer Hugo F. Huber adorned the house with furnishings and art from New York, England and around the world. Landscape architect Warren H. Manning looked to the land’s natural topography for inspiration. (The estate’s name, Stan Hywet, comes from the Old English words for stone quarry, the most prominent natural feature on the property at the time of its purchase.) Throughout the house, opulent details like hand-carved oak, sandalwood and black walnut panels, 23 fireplaces and 21,455 panes of glass mark the property as one that spared no expense.
Guided and self-guided tours are available except on Mondays or holidays from April through December.
714 N. Portage Path, Akron, OH 44303
Guided and self-guided tours are available except on Mondays or holidays from April through December.
714 N. Portage Path, Akron, OH 44303
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Happy driving!
Tell us: What are your favorite historic-home destinations across the Plains and Midwest? Share your picks in the Comments.
More
Historic-House Road Trip: West Coast
Historic-House Road Trip: South and Southwest
Read about historic homes on Houzz
Browse photos of traditional homes
Happy driving!
Tell us: What are your favorite historic-home destinations across the Plains and Midwest? Share your picks in the Comments.
More
Historic-House Road Trip: West Coast
Historic-House Road Trip: South and Southwest
Read about historic homes on Houzz
Browse photos of traditional homes
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Oh, and also Woolaroc (https://www.woolaroc.org/), the Frank Phillips estate, (Phillips 66) near Bartlesville, Oklahoma is well worth taking a south loop. While there, another must-see is the Price Tower in Bartlesville, Frank Lloyd Wright's only sky-scraper design that was actually built. Visit it on Friday evenings and go up the tiny elevators to the bar and grill on the 16th floor. And do it in time to watch a spectacular western sunset from his famous frameless, wrap-around windows.
Emily Schatz, I live in Akron and was at Stan Hywet today, Friday, Aug 24, with my grandkids. There were several questions in a "lift the flap" format on the wall in admissions and one of them was, "How much did it cost to build?"! With furnishings, around $825,000+. It truly is a gem, and the grounds are beautiful with the ponds and areas further from the house as well.
This being said, all the sites are unique and it would be an interesting trip.